Seeking rewards amidst risks.
So far, everything was unfolding as expected.
Despite Hisoka's chaotic interference, the Phantom Troupe remained focused on dealing with Shiba.
This decision created an opportunity for Hisoka—and for Moro as well.
The perfect moment to act would come when Kalluto let his guard down, mistakenly believing he had successfully escaped.
As for whether this plan might provoke… Hisoka's attention later, that was just one of the risks Moro had to face.
Moro stopped focusing on Shiba's situation and instead turned his attention to the fight between Hisoka and Kalluto. Quietly, he moved closer to the scene.
On a street just outside the plaza.
Kalluto flew backward, crashing into a parked car on the roadside.
With the sharp sound of twisting metal, Kalluto's entire body became embedded in the car.
The sudden, violent commotion frightened nearby pedestrians, who quickly fled the area.
Not far away, Hisoka approached the wrecked car.
With a playing card held between his fingers and pressed to his nose, he concealed the faint smirk tugging at his lips.
The Phantom Troupe's coordinated teamwork had heightened his excitement.
This strong emotion, channeled through his Nen, exuded an intense and intimidating aura.
Kalluto pried apart the warped metal frame trapping him and pulled himself out of the car.
With a lurching motion, he straightened his body. His long silver-gray hair shook, scattering shards of broken glass from the car's windows.
"In my memory, you don't exist…"
Straightening his upper body, Kalluto's expression turned grim as he glared at the aura-cloaked Hisoka.
"But asking you why you attacked me now is meaningless."
The moment he finished speaking, Kalluto's eyes began to glow red. Guided by his Nen, he activated his ability:
"Soul Puppets."
From within the glow of his eyes, puppets emerged. In an instant, three figures materialized in front of Kalluto.
Two of them were unmistakably Feitan and Uvogin.
The third figure was a man with abnormally long arms, resembling an ape.
These puppets were all created by Kalluto himself. Under the influence of his Specialist Nen ability, the puppets could utilize roughly 30% of their original power, including the replication of their Nen abilities.
If Kalluto managed to steal his target's eyes, this power could rise to 50%, accompanied by a significant improvement in flexibility and precision.
As a member of the Phantom Troupe, Kalluto had secretly created replicas of his fellow members, but naturally, he hadn't equipped them with the original owners' eyes.
Even so, Kalluto still valued the raw strength of battle maniacs like Feitan and Uvogin.
The third puppet, the long-armed man, was a complete "soul puppet" equipped with a stolen eye.
Among these three puppets, one specialized in close-quarters combat, one focused on speed and distraction, and one provided long-range attacks.
Looking at the puppets Kalluto had summoned, Hisoka's interest was piqued.
"Can I ask you a question?" he said with a playful tone.
Kalluto ignored him and gave a simple command to his puppets: kill Hisoka.
As soon as the order was given, the Uvogin puppet charged at Hisoka.
"Super Destruction Fist."
The Uvogin puppet started with its ultimate move, channeling nearly all of its Nen into its fist, which glowed bright red.
While the puppets were powered by fragments of the original's soul, their lack of eyes left them far less agile. As the Uvogin puppet launched its attack, its unprotected body was exposed, devoid of defensive Nen.
A battle-crazed fighter like Hisoka would never miss such a glaring weakness, one akin to offering up one's neck.
Initially, Hisoka had intended to ask how much power these replicas could muster compared to the originals.
But now, he realized there was no need.
As the Uvogin puppet swung its fist, Hisoka's fingers, gripping a playing card, moved faster. The card slashed across the puppet's neck.
With most of its Nen concentrated in its fist, the attack instantly decapitated the puppet.
Before Hisoka could retract his hand, Feitan's puppet closed in like a ghost, its rapier gleaming as it struck with cold precision.
Hisoka raised an eyebrow and, caught off guard, dodged clumsily.
Swish, swish—
Within just a second or two, Feitan's rapier had left shallow cuts on Hisoka's arm and waist.
"Impressive attack speed, but the damage is negligible," Hisoka muttered.
Slightly surprised by the aggression of the Feitan puppet, Hisoka quickly identified its shortcomings. He reached out and caught the rapier with his hand.
"Bungee Gum."
Nen surged from his palm, becoming adhesive, and firmly stuck to the puppet's rapier.
Just as Hisoka was about to destroy the Feitan puppet, a cluster of arrow-like Nen blasts rained down from above.
Glancing upward, Hisoka retreated, narrowly escaping the blast zone.
Feitan's puppet also withdrew.
The arrow-shaped Nen projectiles struck the ground like a downpour, triggering a series of explosions.
In just a few seconds, thick clouds of dust rose into the air.
Emerging from the dust cloud, Hisoka put some distance between himself and the battle. The pink adhesive connecting him to the Feitan puppet's rapier snapped as he retreated.
"A textbook team combat setup," Hisoka remarked, noticing that the last puppet was a long-range emitter.
Unfazed, he flipped a few cards into his fingers, ready for the next move.
Having assessed the strength of the puppets, he realized there was little to worry about—except for the emitter's attacks.
Time to strike directly at the source.
Hisoka's expression shifted subtly, but his excitement had already waned.
However, Hisoka failed to notice that as he dodged the arrow-like Nen blasts, Kalluto had used the cover of the dust cloud to leave a decoy puppet with artificial eyes in his place before stealthily exiting the battlefield.
This subtle maneuver did not escape Moro's watchful gaze.
"Perfect."
Seeing Kalluto leave a replica behind, Moro knew this was his chance.
If Kalluto had fled outright, it would've been difficult to strike.
But by faking his death through a decoy, Kalluto had left most of his aura in the puppet, significantly weakening himself.
Moro's eyes glinted with sharp intent.
The battle on the street continued unabated.
Meanwhile, Kalluto had quietly moved a fair distance away, slipping into a narrow one-way passage lined with buildings on both sides.
This location was already beyond Hisoka's field of vision.
"Who the hell is that guy…" Kalluto muttered, frowning deeply.
Even after just a few exchanges, Kalluto could sense Hisoka's overwhelming strength.
As a precaution, he had chosen to retreat with a "golden cicada shedding its shell" strategy.
Kalluto glanced back at where he had come from, still unable to understand why Hisoka had attacked him.
Turning his gaze forward, Kalluto looked into the silent and empty alley.
The chaotic street battle had turned the nearby area into a ghost town, and no one was around.
Walking up a gentle slope, Kalluto planned to find a high vantage point.
"Hm?"
As he reached a T-intersection, Kalluto felt something off and looked toward a dark third-floor balcony of a nearby building.
On the unlit balcony railing, three glowing green Nen bullets hovered in a triangular formation.
Kalluto narrowed his eyes at the sight. Suddenly, the bullets flew downward.
He quickly prepared to defend himself but noticed something odd about their trajectory.
They weren't aimed directly at him.
"…Who else is here?"
Suspicious, Kalluto realized the bullets' trajectory subtly shifted mid-air and were now heading toward him.
While focused on the falling bullets, a figure suddenly darted out from a narrow alley ahead of him.
It was Moro, lying in wait.
Ignoring the returning Nen bullets, Moro closed the distance in a flash. His Nen-clad right hand struck like a blade toward Kalluto's heart.
Startled, Kalluto reacted quickly, raising his hand to catch Moro's wrist.
But as he did, he noticed green Nen bullets forming at Moro's fingertips. His pupils shrank.
Whoosh—
The Nen bullet fired point-blank, slamming into Kalluto's chest.
The impact sent Kalluto flying, blood spurting from his mouth.
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50 Powerstones? (5 Bonus Chapters)
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